Nothing's the Same
by CaptainJeremy
Summary: Spencer and Toby have a son, and they're as happy as ever. But, when a situation involving Aria and Ezra begins to take a toll in Toby's life, Toby disappears. When he returns, will anything ever be the same again? Rated M for sexual content & language.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Oliver," the father said the name quietly. "You need to go to sleep."

The toddler fidgeted for a moment before falling back in his crib. Toby Cavanaugh sighed in relief that his son had finally calmed down, before walking back to the bedroom he shared with his girlfriend. She was waiting for her baby daddy to return to bed.

"I missed you," she said. "Come here."

"Ollie's been a little restless at night lately," Toby told her.

"He's a baby. That's just what babies do," Spencer said. "Get into bed before I die from loneliness."

He chuckled.

"I've only been gone for like five minutes," he told her.

"Five minutes too long," she said, raising an eyebrow.

He climbed into bed with the love of his life. He kissed her lips before allowing her to cuddle against his bare chest.

"Good night," he whispered to her before kissing the top of her head.

"Night."

* * *

"I'm here," Spencer announced.

"Finally," Aria Montgomery said as she picked up her son. "Stanley's been really obnoxious lately. I don't think I can handle this whole single mother thing. That's why I'm glad I have you."

"Aria, I love you, but I have Oliver to raise. I love helping you out, but I can't always be there for Stanley," Spencer reminded her. "I don't think Toby appreciates me leaving him in charge of Oliver while he's still got to go to work. I'm glad it's the weekend. I can't be the missing parent for Stan, but someone else can..."

"Ezra?" Aria raised an eyebrow. "He's been back in town for a while. I was at his place last night. I left Stanley with the babysitter, and I spent the night with Ezra. It felt good. It felt like nothing had changed. We went back to the way that we were before the big break out. It almost felt as if we had never broken up."

"I hate to break your fairytale up, but you need to tell him about his own son!" Spencer told her. "I don't even understand why you asked for his legal name to be Stanley Fitz if you weren't planning on telling the father that he's the father."

"I want to tell him, Spence. But how will he react? He's missed two years of his son's life! I don't really want to drop that bomb. And he's Fitz because I thought he was still a part of me at the time. We were fighting nonstop at the time, but I didn't think he'd walk out of my life before. So I was going to tell him that I was pregnant, but he broke up with me. I had Stanley when I thought that he was still coming back," she explained, closing her eyes.

She quickly added, "He asked me to be his girlfriend again last night. He said he's sorry for all the fights, and I told him that it was my fault, too. We kissed. I felt like he didn't change. He's still the Ezra that I fell in love with."

"Aria," Spencer said quietly, "you need to tell him as soon as you can. He's back, and he deserves to know that he has a son. He deserves it. He may not be the best person in the world, considering what he did to you, but he has the right to know. You can't live on with Ezra without telling him that he has a little Fitz."

Aria swallowed hard.

"So, about you," Aria changed the subject. "I don't get it. You have Oliver, you're in love, but you're still not married to Toby?"

Spencer shrugged.

"Honestly, I don't know. Marriage just isn't something we've talked about," she explained. "It doesn't really bother me, either. It's not like I fear that he's going to break up with me. I think I can say that we're both pretty committed, and we don't need marriage to prove that."

"But wouldn't you like to say you're his wife?" Aria asked, grinning. "You don't want to be Spencer Cavanaugh? You don't want to say you're married? You don't want to show off an engagement ring?"

"Stop the taunting. It doesn't bother me. I guess it would be nice, but it's not something I obsessively think about, unlike you," she joked.

Aria crossed her arms.

"I would love to marry Ezra... well no, I wouldn't. I still haven't forgiven him for all the shit he put me through!" Aria said. "He put me through hell, and I don't know if I'll ever forgive him for that. I love him, but I just don't know."

"I get it. I wouldn't forgive Ezra in a heartbeat either, if I were you," Spencer said. "It might take some time, but I hope you guys can patch things up. Maybe Stanley will bring you two closer."

"Or it may rip us further apart," Aria said. "Let's be realistic... Who would be happy to find out that they've had a son that they didn't know existed for two years!?"

"He has no right to be angry at you," Spencer said.

"It doesn't matter what rights he has. He can do as he wishes," Aria shrugged.

The door burst open. It was Toby.

"Hey, girls," he said. He shut the door and walked over to them. He kissed Spencer's cheek before setting Oliver down. "I came to drop Ollie off. You guys mind if I stay?"

"I would love it!" Spencer exclaimed.

He smiled.

"Hey little Stanley," Toby grinned as he saw Aria's son.

"Aw, he looks happy to see you, Toby," Aria said.

"He's adorable," Toby said. "Does he get along with Oliver?"

"I would hope," Aria said, shrugging.

There was another knock at the door.

"I didn't know someone else was coming over..." Aria furrowed her eyebrows. "Let me just get this."

She left Stanley there and walked to the door. When she opened it, a bright Hanna Rivers stood there, followed by Emily Fields.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Hanna exclaimed. "Caleb and Paige are out, and we heard that you guys were having a baby play date, so we brought our little ones here!"

Hanna had a little blonde girl named Megan Rivers, and Emily had an adopted daughter named Rebecca Fields, who she raised with Paige.

"Come in!" Aria exclaimed. "Spencer and Toby are here."

"How's Megan doing?" Toby asked.

"Excellent," Hanna responded as she stepped in. "Caleb and I are having a great time with her. Plus, she doesn't cock block! She's a good sleeper. Not restless at all..."

"And what about Rebecca?" Spencer asked.

"Becky's just the sweetest thing," Emily explained, smiling. "Paige and I just love having her around. I'm so glad we chose her. I wouldn't trade Rebecca for anything. Do you think Stanley and Oliver would get along with Rebecca? I already know that Megan does."

"Ollie and Stan are really friendly, I'm sure they'll love Megan and Rebecca," Aria said.

"Aria... I saw Ezra at the Brew," Hanna said.

"I know, Hanna. He's been back for a bit. We got back together last night," Aria said.

"So I'm guessing the baby news went well with him!" Hanna exclaimed. "Has he met Stanley yet?"

"Hanna... he doesn't know about the baby," Spencer told her.

"I don't want to get involved in this girl drama, so..." Toby began.

"Stay!" Spencer said, and wrapped her arms around her boyfriend.

"For you," he gave in.

"Yay!" Spencer exclaimed.

"It sucks how I'm the only one with a failed love life," Aria shook her head as she cradled Stanley in her arms. "I'm happy I have him, though. I wouldn't trade Stan for anything."

"I'm sorry," Toby apologized. "I didn't mean to rub it in or anything..."

"You didn't," Aria said. "I just... I guess I miss the way things were before that day that he left. Don't get me wrong, I love Stan, but I just... I don't know. I feel like not telling Ezra about my pregnancy was one of the biggest mistakes in my life. Everything would have been different if I told him. Maybe we'd have a bright future if I had stopped him from leaving."

"Everything happens for a reason," Toby told her.

"And that reason still hasn't been determined for me," Aria muttered.

"Hey, I didn't think this was going to be an emotional get together! If you keep this up, I'm sure the downer mood will bring Megan down, and Caleb hates it when she comes home upset," Hanna said. "Sadness is not something we should be sharing with the babies!"

"Hanna, you're the farthest thing from a parenting expert," Spencer laughed. "But I do agree, this downer mood is really... down. Aria, why don't you just forget about men for a day? Men suck!"

Toby furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at his girlfriend in confusion.

"Other than you, baby," Spencer quickly said when she noticed the look he was giving her. She kissed his lips.

"That's better," Toby chuckled.

* * *

Spencer cradled Oliver in her arms as Toby unlocked the door. The couple walked inside.

"I don't think Aria's okay," Spencer said.

"You think?" Toby sarcastically said. "That girl's a train wreck! Spencer, you know that I think she's a fantastic person, but I think someone needs to help her put herself back together. She's been through a lot. You all have, but I think she's been through the most. She's been a single mother, and the so-called love of her life just walked away from her."

"He's back now," Spencer mentioned.

"That doesn't change what he did to her," Toby reminded.

"I know, but this is a chance for them to fix everything!" Spencer exclaimed.

"What will he think when he finds out that his son has been growing up without him for a good fucking two years!" Toby was practically yelling.

"Why are you yelling at me for this?" Spencer asked, setting Oliver down.

"I'm not," he sighed. "I'm just worried for her, okay? I know she's your best friend, and not mine, but I'm still worried about her. I don't think that letting Ezra back into her life is the best thing for her right now, but she's got her heart set on it. She'll just let that doofus back into her life."

"Why do you hate Ezra so much?" Spencer asked.

"He's an idiot, that's why," Toby said.

"He didn't know he had a son. He didn't know Aria was pregnant. He didn't know that he was leaving her alone with all these responsibilities," Spencer defended.

"It doesn't matter. I will never forgive Ezra Fitz," Toby declared.

"Toby... Did something happen between you two?" Spencer asked.

"I... No. I don't even know the guy," Toby responded, shaking his head.

"Fine then. I'm going to go get the baby food for Oliver," Spencer announced as she walked to their kitchen.

Toby sighed and ran a hand through his hair.


	2. Chapter 2

**Sexual scene right ahead! Be warned.**

Chapter 2

Toby had finally put Oliver to sleep that night. As he walked to the bedroom, he felt weird. He knew that Spencer was still upset with him because of the way he spoke to her. He knew that their relationship had been changing way too much ever since Oliver's arrival. He didn't like what was happening to them. He missed the days when they were just teenagers hopelessly in love.

"He's finally asleep," Toby quietly said, staring at the ground as he entered their bedroom.

"Okay," was all he got in response from Spencer.

She turned to the side and pulled the string on the table lamp before turning to the side. She didn't even wait for him to get into bed with her. He knew that he needed to fix this.

"Spencer," he said his girlfriend's name sincerely. "Please don't be angry."

He pulled the table lamp string again, and turned the light back on. She crossed her arms.

"Everything just hasn't been the same ever since Oliver came along, okay?" Spencer sighed. "And now you're acting like a jerk! It's getting on my nerves."

He swallowed hard before coming closer to her.

"Nothing has to change. I'm sorry for the way I acted about the whole Aria and Ezra thing," he apologized. "I really am. I love you. I know things have been shaky since the baby came along, but I still love you, and I don't love you any less. In fact, I love you more than before!"

Out of nowhere, Spencer started chuckling.

"What?" Toby was confused.

"You're such a dork!" Spencer exclaimed. "Look at us, we're two stupid dorks."

He smiled at her.

"I let the stupidest thing get in the way. I'm being so ungrateful. I have the best boyfriend in the world, and the best son in the world, but I'm not appreciating them enough. I can appreciate my son in the morning, but I think now's a good time to appreciate that boyfriend of mine," she flirted.

"Appreciation, huh?" Toby grinned.

"Appreciation," Spencer confirmed.

She leaned in, and pressed her lips against his. She felt like she was that teenage girl falling in love all over again. He climbed onto the bed, and over his girlfriend. Their lips stayed connected. His tongue slipped into her mouth. She felt so relaxed while kissing him.

They hadn't had time for each other ever since Oliver's arrival, so they were ecstatic. She began to slip Toby's black shirt over his head, and threw it on the floor. He started to pull Spencer's short-shorts down her lengthy legs, and let them join his black shirt on the floor. Their lips met again, for a much more fiery and passionate kiss. As soon as their lips separated, Toby pulled his pajama pants down his own legs, and threw them on the floor.

He helped his girlfriend out of her loose-fitting shirt, leaving her in her bra and panties. He quickly unhooked her bra and threw it on the ground. He kissed each of her breasts. His eyes were filled with lust for more. He moved his tongue down from her breasts, and left kisses on her stomach. He pulled her panties down halfway, and allowed his tongue to flicker in her clit.

His tongue retreated, and he was quick to yank his boxers off. He didn't hesitate before sliding into her. She closed her eyes as he went in for the first time. Her breaths got hotter and heavier, and they both got sweatier. She was quicker to orgasm than usual, probably because she was just so into it.

He kissed her passionately one last time before rolling next to her, and pulling her against him. He held her close. One hand reached across to pull the lamp string, so he could turn the lights off.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you, too," he whispered back.

* * *

When she woke up in the morning, it was not pleasant. She woke up to the sound of Oliver crying loudly. Toby's eyes opened as he heard his girlfriend shuffling to get up. He noticed that she was about to walk out the door, still butt naked from last night. He chuckled.

"Spence, I get that your maternal side says that you need to go calm Ollie down, but I don't think he'll appreciate seeing his mommy naked," he teased. "Put some clothes on, babe."

Spencer was quick to blush when she realized he was right.

"Sorry. I wasn't thinking," she said as she picked up her loose shirt from last night, as well as her panties and short shorts. She put the clothes on, but skipped the hassle of wearing a bra. She walked to the crib and picked Oliver up.

"Don't cry, baby," she whispered as she kissed her son's head. "Mommy loves you. Calm down, baby."

Toby walked to the baby's room in only his boxers. He wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned in. He watched closely as Spencer took care of Oliver.

"You're such a good mom," Toby said, sliding his hands up and down her waist.

"And you're so sweet," she whispered. "I'll take care of Ollie. Can you get breakfast ready?"

"Anything for you," he said. "Do you want pancakes, waffles, eggs? Your call."

"Surprise me," she shrugged. "Get the baby food for Ollie."

"Got it," he nodded as he slipped his arms out and walked to the kitchen.

Spencer's cell phone started ringing. She put a now calm Oliver down, and picked up her phone. It was Aria.

_"Uh, hey Aria. What's up?"_

_"I woke up a while ago. Handling Stanley on my own is killing me!"_

_"Aria... You know I can't always help you. Toby and I just patched everything up, and we've got Oliver. Why don't you ask Hanna or Emily for help today, okay?"_

_"No, I don't want to drift any of you guys away from your own lives anymore. I think it's time that I fix my own. I'm going to tell Ezra today... I'm going to tell him about Stanley."_

_"That's great! I hope it goes well. He loves you, so he won't get mad. Well, maybe he'll get mad, but it won't stay that way. He'll learn to accept it quickly, because he loves you."_

_"Thank you so much for your support, Spencer. You've done more for Stanley than anyone. I'm so sorry that I've been ripping you away from your life for my own selfish needs."_

_"They weren't selfish, Aria! I love you, and I love Stan. It doesn't bother me to help. I love helping out. Sometimes I was too busy to help, but I love you. I would do anything for you guys. And, good luck with Ezra today, okay?"_

_"I love you, too. Thanks again. I'll call you later."_

_Aria ended the call._

Spencer kissed Oliver one last time before picking him up and bringing him downstairs to the kitchen. She put him in his baby chair, and started to help Toby with breakfast.

"Who was on the phone?" Toby asked as he flipped a pancake.

"Aria," Spencer responded. "Um, she's going to tell Ezra about Stanley today."

Toby stared at the ground.

"That's wonderful for her. I hope it goes well," he said.

"No you don't. You don't have to lie," she told him.

"Spencer, trust me! I want everything to go well for Aria. Sure, I don't like Ezra, but if she's happy, then I'm fine with it," he explained.

Spencer smiled.

"I'm glad you are," she said before kissing his lips.

"You want to feed Oliver?" Toby asked.

"Of course. You're handling breakfast, so I've got this!" Spencer exclaimed.

* * *

"So, there's a quarter to seven," Emily began. "He's going to be here soon."

"I know, and I'm scared. Should I have made dinner?" Aria asked. "I don't know if he's eaten yet! I'm going to go check if I still have leftovers from last night."

"Calm down," Emily said, and pulled her friend down. "I was in there like ten minutes ago. I saw the leftovers in the fridge. Anyways, it'll be okay. Whatever happens... happens!"

"What if Stan starts crying? He'll find out before I have the chance to tell him myself," Aria said.

"Then you'll have to get straight to the shit when he gets here," Hanna said as she say down. "I put Stanley in his crib, and I gave him his bottle milk. I think he'll be asleep for a while. Hopefully Ezra will fall in love with him like we have!"

"Hanna's right. He'll fall in love with his son. He won't abandon you guys," Emily said. "He still loves you."

"But will he still after he finds out the secret I've been keeping?" Aria frowned. "He asked me if anything new has happened while he was gone, and I just shook my head! He thinks everything's the same, Emily! He has no clue that I've been raising Stanley. He won't like it when he finds out. Ezra's the kind of guy to get angry at secrets, and I would know. He hates secrets."

"You're panicking too much, Aria! Why don't you think about what you're going to say?" Emily asked.

"Improv is always a good way to go!" Hanna exclaimed. "Let your heart do the talking when the time comes."

"Fuck no!" Aria shook her head. "I'm the kind of girl to fuck up under pressure, and this certainly is pressure to me. I'll totally screw up."

"Then what are you goi-" Emily began, but there was a knock at the door which cut her off.

"Is he here?" Hanna's eyes widened.

Aria slowly approached the door. She opened it. To her disappointment, it was Ezra. Early!

"Ezra, hi! I thought you weren't coming for another fifteen minutes," Aria said, biting her lip.

"Yeah, but I was driving back from a friend's place, and I got here a little earlier than expected, so here I am. Hanna? Emily? What are you guys doing here?" Ezra asked.

"Emily and I were just here to hang with Aria, but you're here early, so we'll give you guys the alone time," Hanna responded. "Emily, let's go. Uh, Caleb and Paige are probably waiting for us."

"Yeah! I don't want to leave Paige with Rebecca for too long!" Emily choked. "Nice to see you, Ezra. Hanna and I will be out of here in a flash."

Emily and Hanna rushed out the door. Aria could feel herself tensing up. Ezra shut the door behind him.

"So, what's up, babe?" Ezra asked as they sat down on the couch together. "You said that you wanted to talk to me. So talk to me! I'm ready to hear whatever your beautiful voice is going to say to me. Go ahead, talk!"

"Ezra... Please don't freak out when I tell you the thing I'm going to tell you. I feel like you'll hate me when you hear what you're about to hear," Aria began, sighing.

Ezra stared at the ground, confused.

"I... I could never hate you, Aria. You can tell me anything," Ezra whispered. "How could I ever hate you?"

"I don't know. But this is big, okay? I'm just not sure of what will happen when I tell you," she sighed. "Ezra, there's no easy way to say this. You have a son. I... I had your son two years ago."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Excuse me?" Ezra choked out, with his eyes widening. "Please tell me that what you said was a fuck up in words."

"It's not. It's true," she whispered, shamefully looking at the ground.

"What. The. Fuck," Ezra swallowed hard. He looked more angry than she had ever seen him. "Please, explain to me what this is all about! How did this happen?"

"The night we had our first and only time. That drunken night," she whispered, her throat hurting. Tears were threatening to fall out of her eyes. "I didn't think anything like it happened. But, I started feeling sick. And then we started fighting more, and then I found out I was pregnant, and then I was going to tell you, but you broke up with me and left the state and... I just couldn't tell you after that. Now you came back, and I thought I could tell you... I gave birth to Stanley Fitz two years ago."

"He can't be mine, Aria. How do you know he's not someone else's kid?" Ezra asked, shaking his head.

"He's not! I've never slept with anyone else, I swear to you," Aria said. "Do you not want him to be yours? He's such an amazing boy, and I love him. Why don't you want him?"

"I don't want a baby that I didn't know about for two fucking years!" Ezra yelled. "You gave him up for adoption, right? So thank god he's gone."

"I did not! And I want him. He's the most beautiful baby boy I've ever seen," Aria whispered. "I love Stanley Fitz with all my heart."

"Where is he, then? He's not here," Ezra said.

"He's sleeping in his crib," she told him.

"Well fuck me," he shook his head as he walked into the other room.

There was a small crib, and a baby boy wrapped in a blanket.

"That's your son. That's our son. That's Stanley Fitz," she told him, closing her eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Ezra asked, clenching his fists. "Why didn't you tell me before I fucking walked away!?"

"Stop using the f-word so much!" Aria sobbed. "I don't want Stanley to hear it!"

Ezra looked inside of the crib, and flinched when he saw the baby boy.

"He would have loved you," Aria whispered, her hand trembling as she approached the crib. "But you weren't there for him."

"And who's fault was that?" Ezra snapped, turning around to face Aria.

"It's not mine. It's yours," Aria said, suddenly growing angrier. "Look Ezra, I'm tired of you being the dominant one. I'm tired of you thinking you have some sort of power over me! You need to understand that this was harder for me than you. You walked away from me before I could tell you. I was scared and alone. I wasn't the kind of girl to speak up. But now, I am. I'm not the same girl I was two years ago! You don't own me anymore!"

He closed his eyes. He just didn't know how to react.

"I have made more mistakes than anyone in a lifetime," he whispered, with his eyes still closed. "Walking away from you was one of the biggest mistakes I ever made. I can't change the past. We both can't. But I don't feel like I'm a part of this boy's life if I wasn't there for two whole years."

"I don't know what to tell you," Aria said, shrugging. "I've been raising Stanley as my own, and when you came back, I was ecstatic! I thought that maybe this was our chance to fix things, and have the family we dreamed of years ago. He's your son, whether you like it or not, but I'm not forcing you to be a part of his life. So you need to make a choice."

"Goodbye, Aria," Ezra suddenly said.

He took one last look at Stanley Fitz before heading for the door.

"Ezra," she said, her voice shaky. "Don't do this," she said.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, shaking his head. "I can't stay. I love you."

By the time he was out the door, Aria was sobbing on the floor. That was it. Nothing had changed. Ezra was gone, and she was a single mother again. It was clear that they were now broken up, too. She had nothing left.

She suddenly felt stupid. Ezra wasn't everything! She had Stanley. She had her friends. Her loving and amazing friends. Hanna, Emily, and Spencer. Even Toby, Caleb, and Paige! They were practically like family. They were better than Ezra. Sure, Stanley wouldn't get to have his father with him. It didn't matter. His father was an asshole anyways. Stanley had all of Aria's crazy and amazing friends!

"Stanley Fitz. I wish you were Stanley Montgomery," she whispered. "I love you, baby. I love you. I'm so sorry that I can't ever give you a daddy, but I love you. I will always love you. Forever." She kissed Stanley's forehead before closing her eyes and crying a little more.

* * *

"My god," Spencer groaned. "I can't get this stupid TV to work!"

"Calm down, sweetheart," Toby chuckled. He kissed her cheek before taking over. "I got this. You can relax, and I'll have this sucker working in a few minutes. Don't you worry."

"Thank you. Good thing you're good with electronics," Spencer said. "Maybe I should have married Caleb," she joked.

"Hey. Hanna wouldn't have liked that, and neither would Toby!" he laughed.

"Stop talking about yourself in third person," she chuckled. "Just get our TV working!"

"Our TV," he grinned. "I love the sound of that."

"Dork," she giggled.

The doorbell rang.

"You keep fixing that TV, Handy Manny. I'll get the door," Spencer told him.

"Thanks for the nickname. You think Oliver would like that show?" Toby asked as he reset the television.

"I don't know. Maybe. We could put it on for him and see if he likes it... once you get that TV working!" Spencer said as she walked towards the door. She opened it.

"I'm sorry to drop in randomly," Aria sniffled.

"Hey, you know you're welcome here any time! It's fine!" Spencer exclaimed. "Uh... Are you okay? What happened? You can come inside. It's just Toby and I."

Aria took slow steps inside.

"I told Ezra," she choked out.

"I'm guessing he didn't take it well. What happened?" Spencer asked.

"You guessed right. He was angry at first, and then he got emotional. Then I asked him if he was going to ultimately stay, and he just said goodbye to me and left," she explained, still sobbing. "It was terrible! He's gone, Spencer! He's gone!"

Toby heard the sobbing, and walked to the door.

"Spencer, I've got the TV working again," he said. "Aria? Hi. How are you doing? What's going on?"

"Ezra stuff," Spencer responded, sighing.

"He didn't take it well that Stanley's his?" Toby asked.

Aria weakly nodded.

"It's okay," Toby tried to cheer her up.

"It's not," she shook her head. "Now Stanley will never have a father!"

"Hey! Ezra doesn't deserve such a beautiful boy like Stanley," Spencer said. "Aria... Did you leave Stan alone!?"

"No, of course not!" Aria shook her head. "I called the babysitter Melanie. She's taking care of him. She's my regular sitter now. She's really sweet, and Stan really likes her."

"That's wonderful," Spencer said, smiling.

"I'm really sorry for you. I'll go make you guys some hot cocoa," Toby told them. "It's a cold night out, so I was thinking that it would be a nice time to have a hot drink."

"Really? Thanks baby, you're so sweet!" Spencer exclaimed. "Would you drink it, Aria?"

"That would be lovely," Aria nodded.

Toby smiled and walked to the kitchen.

"I hate myself! I always take advantage of you guys," Aria sighed. "Toby and you are always so kind to me, and I feel like in taking advantage of that."

"You're not!" Spencer shook her head.

"If anything ever goes wrong for you, I'll be there for you," Aria told her. "I want to do something nice for you, instead of you always being there for me. I'll find some way to make it up to you, I promise."

* * *

"My girlfriend," Ezra began, "had a baby. Two years ago. _Two years_. Problem is, I wasn't there for those two years! It's my son, too. His name's Stanley Fitz. He's adorable. But, I can't have him. I don't want to suddenly be there. I want to be there from day one! I can't ever go back and fix that. She never told me."

"That's okay," a blonde girl smiled at him. "Have another drink. It's on me. You don't need that baby boy. You can forget him. How about you forget about this Aria girl and just focus on me? I like you a lot, Fitzy. You're sexy."

He grinned and chuckled.

"Aria's fucking hot," Ezra grinned. "You're hot, too. I like you. Another drink sounds awesome."

"Good," she smiled. "Hey dude, can we get another two over here!?"

The bartender nodded. He shook up a drink and slid it to Ezra and the blonde.

"Thanks for all the drinks," Ezra said, sipping the newest one.

"It's my pleasure," she said. "We've been friends for a long time. Good friends. I owe you for all you've done for me. You deserve to have some fun."

"All I did after I left Aria that night was drink and fuck my life up," he sighed, and closed his eyes. "I don't know if I regret what I've done, but I know that things went a little psycho after we broke up. At least I still had you, though. You made everything worthwhile."

"Ezra, I'll always be here for you," she said.

"I know, and I love knowing that, CeCe," he whispered as he inched closer to her.

"You know something that I wish I told you years ago?" CeCe Drake asked, shutting her eyes. She tried not to cry at the thought.

"Tell me," he said, sipping the drink.

"I love you," she whispered. "I loved you from the first time we spoke. You made me laugh, and you made me smile. I never felt better. You were always there. And I fell in love with you. You had Aria, though. When you broke up, I thought we had a chance. But I didn't think that I was good enough for you. I'll never be enough for you."

"Don't say that," he whispered back, shaking his head. "You are enough, CeCe. You're more than enough. You're beautiful, and funny. God, you're fucking perfect. I love you. You always make me forget about the hard times with Aria."

They didn't even say another word to each other. The intensity of them looking at each other led them to smashing their lips together. It wasn't a regular kiss. It was the best kiss they'd both ever had. They both knew that they were in love with each other now, and that kiss proved it.

* * *

A/N: Whoa weird chapter. Ezra and CeCe? I always thought they'd be hot together ever since Ezra was revealed as A. That doesn't mean he's A, though. He just did something involving Toby, and it's going to create some huge problems for Spoby and Ezria. Ezra was a total jerk in this chapter, I know! Very OOC for him to go over the top. But, he's got a backstory that kind of pieces his attitude together.


	4. Chapter 4

Ezra has a lot of skeletons in his closet, so that's why he's acting so weird. He loves Aria. He doesn't really love CeCe. Of course, he does have some feelings for CeCe, since they've been friends for so long, but that doesn't beat the love he has for Aria. Ezra was just going through a hard time, with everything from his past, and then the news of Stanley. And just because Jake is in this chapter, that doesn't mean this is a Jakria story. There's still Ezria!

* * *

Chapter 4

"I'll watch the kids," Caleb sighed. "You girls are always our without me! I'm always in charge of Megan. I love her, but I want to spend some time with my beautiful wife."

Hanna smiled. She went on her tiptoes and kissed Caleb's lips gently.

"We can spend time together soon," she promised. "I took Megan out for a play date just a few days ago! But I promise you, we'll have time to catch up. I didn't know having a kid would be so much god damn work."

"As long as I'm with you," Caleb said, smiling at her. "Have a fun day with the girls, Hanna. Call me if you need me. Love you."

"Love you back," Hanna chuckled and kissed his cheek.

Caleb put Megan down for a moment as he shut the door for Hanna.

* * *

Hanna knocked the door of Aria's apartment. A smiling Emily opened the door for the blonde.

"Hey, Hanna. We're all here already," Emily said. "What took you so long?"

"Caleb and Megan stuff," Hanna shrugged. "I had to sort things with them before I could leave. Since I'm a total procrastinator, just like I was back in high school."

Emily smiled at her as they walked inside together.

"I feel bad for leaving Caleb with Megan again," Hanna said, sighing.

"I keep leaving Oliver with Toby, too," Spencer sighed. "But I love spending time with you guys."

"And here's me, always with Stanley," Aria frowned.

"Aria, don't worry about Ezra," Spencer said, rubbing her friend's back.

"I'm not," she shook her head.

The other three girls glanced at each other. They knew that she was thinking about him.

"Uh, why don't we watch a movie?" Emily quickly suggested, so she could break the silence.

"I'll go get my box of old movies from my room," Aria quietly said, getting up.

"She's a wreck," Hanna whispered once she left.

"I don't blame her," Spencer whispered back.

"There's got to be something we can do to cheer her up," Emily whispered.

"I know you guys are talking about me," Aria muttered as she walked out from her room. "You don't have to be all sympathetic, okay? I can handle myself. Sure, all of you guys have stable and perfect relationships while I don't... but that doesn't mean I can't handle myself. I can find someone else. I don't need to spend my life worrying about romance. There's more to life than relationships!"

The girls swallowed hard as they turned to the TV screen.

* * *

"Hey there, handsome," CeCe Drake said as the door of Ezra's apartment opened for her. "I've missed you since last night."

CeCe leaned in to kiss him. Ezra barely kissed her back.

"Hi there CeCe," he sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. "I've missed you as well. You can come in if you want."

"And I want!" CeCe giggled and let herself inside.

Ezra shut the door behind him and sat down on the couch next to CeCe.

"So I was thinking," he began, "that we should just be friends."

"What? Why?" CeCe asked, eyebrows furrowing. "I like you, and you like me! What's wrong with that?"

"I've done a lot of wrong in my life, and so have you... and I need to make things right. I need to move past what I did, and I need to fix Aria. I've ruined her life, especially after yesterday," he quietly said. "I like you, CeCe, I do. But... I _love_ her. I love her a lot."

CeCe felt uneasy.

"Why did you kiss me last night?" she asked, getting frustrated.

"In the heat of the moment," he responded. "I needed somebody, and you were there for me. You always have been. And that's why you're one of the greatest friends I've ever had. But my love for Aria... and I... I just need her again, okay? I need to make things right! And I also need to fix things with Toby."

"_Toby_?" CeCe's eyes widened. "You're choosing NOW to worry about what you did to Spencer Hastings's boyfriend? It's been years since that day, Ezra. No one knows except him, and he has nothing to prove it. He can't do anything. If you don't talk about it, no one will ever know."

"But the guilt eats me alive every time I see Toby Cavanaugh," Ezra stared at the ground. "The guilt eats me every time I see Aria, or any of her friends! Spencer, Hanna, Emily... I just can't take it anymore."

CeCe was angry. Not because of Ezra wanting to make up for all he'd done, but because he decided to lead her on the other night, only to break her heart and say he wanted to be with Aria Montgomery.

"You can do what you want," she sighed, shaking her head. "I thought we were done with the past, but you're clearly still hung up on it. I thought we were special, but you still are in love with the Montgomery girl."

"CeCe, I never wanted to hurt you. I don't want to lie to you. You're an amazing person, but..." he sighed.

"Ezra, we've been through so much together," CeCe swallowed hard.

"I know. But we're better of as friends," he said.

CeCe knew that he wasn't going to change his mind. He had his heart set on Aria.

"I should go," she said. "I have stuff to do."

He nodded as she got up from the couch and walked out the door.

* * *

"Look, Aria, I know you said that you weren't still hung up on the whole Ezra thing, but I think you need to get outside, because watching sad movies about heartbreak is not going to help you!" Spencer said.

"I told you that I'm not thinking about it!" Aria argued.

"Why don't we get some coffee?" Spencer suggested. "I think I haven't had a good dose of caffeine in a while. I haven't been down to the Brew in forever, either. We could just go and grab some coffee. Getting outside will be good for all of us instead of staying in a stuffy little apartment."

"Stuffy?" Aria was offended. "I can't go anyways, either. I can't leave Stanley here alone. We're better off watching sad movies!"

"Don't sweat it! I'll just give Toby a call and get him to pick Stanley up," Spencer said, smiling. "He's always there for me. He'll do anything to cheer you up."

"Please Aria, just let Toby take care of Stanley!" Hanna begged. "I really want some coffee!"

She sighed, "Fine. But I still need to make it up to you two."

"Don't worry," Spencer said, and pulled her phone out.

_"Hey babe. What's the call for?"_

_"Tobes, hi! I just wanted to call to ask if you could take care of Stanley. Maybe you could pick him up..."_

_"I would, but I can't drive. I've got my hands full with Oliver. I don't want to drive with the baby right now... I don't have the car seat."_

_"That's totally fine. Would you mind if I dropped him off?"_

_"Sure. I think Ollie could use a buddy anyways."_

_"You're the best! I love you."_

_"Love you more."_

"So we're going to drop Stanley off at my place," Spencer smiled. "Toby said that he would take care of him if we dropped him off at home."

"Yay!" Hanna exclaimed. "Coffee time!"

* * *

"What do you want?" Spencer asked. "I'll order for you."

Aria still felt a little bit down.

"Uhm, a chocolate frap?" Aria said. "I can go find a table."

"Awesome," Spencer nodded, and walked to the counter.

As Aria was looking around for a table, all she could think about was how terrible her life was. She wanted Ezra. She needed him again! She wanted Stanley to have a father. She closed her eyes and kept walking. Then, she suddenly smashed into a rock hard chest. She looked up, and saw a tall young man.

"Sorry," he apologized, his blue eyes glistening.

"It was my fault. I wasn't looking," she said.

"I'm pretty sure it was my fault as well," he said, smiling a pearly white smile a little bit.

Aria chuckled.

"Okay, it can be both our faults," she said, chuckling.

"Yeah," he nodded, grinning. "You're really funny. I'm Kaden."

"Aria," she introduced herself.

"Aria, hmm? Interesting name. I like it," he said.

"I like the name Kaden," she said, smiling at him.

"I guess we both like each other's names," he chuckled.

She observed him for a moment. He was perfect. From his sandy colored hair, to his amazing personality... plus those charming blue eyes. She was already falling!

"I know we just met, but can I get your number?" he asked.

"Of course!" she exclaimed.

They quickly exchanged numbers.

"Kaden, come here!" a girl called to him.

"Sorry, I've got to go. My girlfriend's calling me," he said, sighing. "Coming, Mariah!"

Her heart sank as Kaden jogged of to his girlfriend Mariah. The felt this connection to him. Why was he hitting on her if he had a girlfriend?

"I waited forever for you to finished talking to that guy," Spencer said, sipping her coffee. She handed Aria hers. "Who's the cutie, anyways? He's almost as hot as my Toby."

Aria rolled her eyes.

"His name's Kaden," she responded.

"Oh, so you like him?" Spencer winked.

"No! It wouldn't matter if I did, anyways. He has a girlfriend. Her name's Mariah," she sighed.

"It's okay. There's plenty of other guys," Spencer said.

"Kaden's a really sweet guy," she smiled.

"I bet. It's too bad you probably won't run into him much, even if he does have a girlfriend," Spencer shrugged.

"But I can. He asked me for my number," she smiled. "I can't flirt, though. I'm not over Ezra, and Kaden is dating Mariah!"

"Whatever you say," Spencer shrugged with a smile.


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you so much! You guys are so sweet.

Chapter 5

Spencer said goodbye to her friends, except Aria, and drove home. She unlocked the door and walked inside. When she walked into the living room, Oliver was sound asleep in his crib, and Toby was napping on the couch. She smiled and chuckled when she saw her two favorite boys sleeping. She got a blanket from upstairs and put it on Toby. She thought he was such a great father.

Aria picked Stanley up, said goodbye to Spencer, and went back home.

After another minute, Toby quickly woke up.

"Spence?" he called to her. "You home?"

She walked to the living room and nodded.

"I just got back from Aria's," she responded. "You were sleeping when I got back, so I put a blanket on you. Thanks for putting Ollie to sleep, and for taking care of Stanley. You're a really big lifesaver. Aria could finally take a breath and relax because of you, so much."

He smiled and sat up. Spencer came over and sat next to him.

"You know I'd do anything for you," Toby said, and cupped her cheeks. "I love you more than anything in the whole world."

Spencer happily smiled at him, feeling flattered by his words.

"So I was talking to the girls a few days ago," Spencer began, nervously staring at the ground. "They were talking about marriage and stuff... you know. Hanna was really ecstatic about her marriage with Caleb, and yeah..."

"Spencer," he said her name, knowing where she was going. "Are you upset because we're not married or something?"

She nodded her head weakly.

"I didn't think you would want that. I didn't think marriage meant anything to you, because I don't think that marriage would make us any more committed. I'll always be this committed to you," he promised her. "We don't need to be married to prove anything. Plus, with Oliver's arrival, it's just too hard to be planning a wedding and spending money on wedding rings."

"Yeah, I guess money is tight for us right now," she sighed. "It's okay... I just thought that you didn't want to, or something like that."

"Hey, of course I want to. Now's just not the time," he told her. "I do love you. A lot. We may not be able to get married right now, but there are _other_ things we can do..."

His tone was suggestive and sexy. She leaned in to kiss him, forgetting about all her marriage worries.

"You dirty boy," she whispered, and kissed down his neck.

"You're just so beautiful," he whispered back, and wrapped his arms around her.

"Toby... Upstairs. I don't want to wake Oliver up," Spencer reminded, and began to get up.

The couple started walking upstairs, hand-in-hand. The brunette beauty leaned her head against Toby as they walked to their bedroom.

They fell back on the bed, giggling as their lips met again. Toby pulled back and started to pull Spencer's shirt over her head. He admired her body for a second, before leaning in to kiss her again. Before his lips could touch hers, the doorbell rang loudly, disturbing their quality time. He groaned and got off the bed.

Spencer slid her shirt back over her head, and followed Toby downstairs. She sighed in annoyance, and opened the door. Toby waited behind her, to see who the person was.

"Hi... I got lonely at my apartment, so I was hoping that we could spend more time together," Aria said, standing awkwardly outside. "I hope I didn't disturb you guys."

"Oh...uh... You didn't," Spencer lied, not wanting to be rude. "But didn't we just hang out? You picked Stanley up after."

"I know, but I went back, and it was lonely without anyone. So I hired a babysitter to take care of Stanley for the night, and I came over here," Aria said, biting her lip. "I knew that I could always count on you during my hardest times. That's why I always come to you, instead of Hanna or Emily."

Spencer felt flattered, but she really wanted to spend time with Toby.

"You're so sweet," Spencer said, sighing. She shot Toby an apologetic look.

Toby got the message.

"Well, you can spend time with Aria, and I'll be on my way. I'll go see if Caleb wants to hang out or something," Toby said, nodding before he walked out the door.

Spencer felt really bad, but she shut the door behind her and led Aria into the living room.

* * *

Toby knocked on the door of the Rivers' house. A smiling Caleb Rivers opened the door.

"Hi there, Tobes!" Caleb exclaimed. "What's up?"

"Aria came over, so I let Spence have her girl time," Toby explained.

"Didn't they just hang out earlier?" Caleb asked. "I'm pretty sure Hanna left to hang out. That's why I took care of Megan in the afternoon."

"Yeah, they did. And Emily, too," Toby nodded. "But ever since that whole thing with Ezra, Aria's been kind of... you know... broken?"

"I get it," Caleb said. "Hanna's watching Megan, so you can come inside. We could watch some football or something."

"Thanks man," Toby grinned as he walked inside.

"Toby? Hey!" Hanna greeted as she cradled Megan in her arms.

"Hi Hanna," Toby said, smiling a little bit. "Spencer's with Aria, so I came over for Caleb."

"It's so cute how my best friend's boyfriend is like best friends with my babe!" Hanna exclaimed, nearly throwing Megan out of her arms.

"I'm sure it's fantastic," Caleb chuckled. "But, don't murder Megan, honey."

"Sorry," Hanna sheepishly said. "Your friendship is just so adorable!"

"Well, it's not cute when my girlfriend's other best friend keeps popping up and stealing my girlfriend," Toby groaned and crossed his arms.

"Aria's been so clingy to Spencer ever since Ezra dumped her because of Stanley," Hanna sighed. "I mean, she met this sexy guy named Kaden that even Spencer was fawning over at the Brew!"

Toby and Caleb's eyes widened.

"Don't worry, Toby... Spencer's not interested in Kaden," Hanna rolled her eyes. "She really wants Aria to date him."

"She's my girlfriend, so she better not like this Kaden dude!" Toby said.

"And Hanna, you're not allowed to call him sexy!" Caleb pouted. "That fucker can't have you."

"Caleb, I don't want Kaden anyways. I want him to be with Aria, too! Maybe she'd stop moping about Ezra and clinging to Spencer if she got a new boyfriend," Hanna planned.

"Wow Hanna, that was actually really smart," Toby said, grinning. "I totally am all in for setting Aria up with Kaden! Then I can finally have Spencer all to myself. And those annoying unexpected visits where she steals my girlfriend from me."

"Yeah babe, nice plan," Caleb grinned and kissed Hanna's cheek. "You've got more brains than people credit you for."

"I know, I know," Hanna laughed.

"Fuck," Caleb cursed. "I forgot to tell my boss that I'm not going to be in town on Friday. I still have to go visit my mom in California for her birthday. Hanna, you should come with me. I think my mom deserves to meet my wife. But fuck, I've got to go leave my boss an e-mail."

"Stop cursing in front of our daughter!" Hanna scolded. "I let it slide the first time, but now you've done it three times! I don't want Megan to get a potty mouth at such a young age, okay? She'll start repeating things that we say, and it'll get bad from there."

"Okay, babe, I'm sorry. Will you still come to California with me to see my mom?" Caleb asked. "We haven't seen her together since our wedding, and I think she'll really appreciate it."

"For you," Hanna smiled, and kissed Caleb.

"Now I feel like the third wheel," Toby sighed.

"Sorry, man. Maybe if Aria wasn't stealing your girlfriend, she would be here, too," Caleb laughed.

"Shut up," Toby frowned.

"Football?" Caleb smiled again.

"Okay, I totally ship the bromance going on here, but I don't need you two bozos clapping every time your team scores in football!" Hanna pouted.

"Sorry babe, it's guy time," Caleb laughed and turned the TV on.

"Hell yes! They're already in the lead," Toby happily said.

"I told you! No cursing in front of Megan," Hanna scolded. "Oliver's going to end up with a huge potty mouth if you keep on talking like that in front of him."

"When did you become the prude?" Toby asked.

"I didn't! I just want my baby girl to grow up right," Hanna told him. "Away from my baby? I'll probably be the cursing machine."

Toby laughed for a moment and then turned his attention back to the TV.

The doorbell rang again. Hanna sighed and put Megan down.

"Boys, watch Megan," Hanna told them. "Please, just while I get the door."

"Okay, okay, babe! You want it? You got it," Caleb said.

Hanna opened the door. Spencer stood in the doorway.

"Spence? Hey," Hanna said. "Toby's here, if you didn't know."

"He is?" Spencer furrowed her eyebrows.

"Yeah, for Caleb," Hanna told her.

"Oh right, he told me!" Spencer remembered.

"So what brings you here?" Hanna asked as she let her friend in.

"Aria's driving me insane," Spencer responded as she stepped inside. She ran a hand through her brown hair. "I know the thing with Ezra brought her down, but she won't stop interrupting my life! I was trying to spend some time with Toby, who I've been neglecting for a whole now, and then she shows up at my door, so he went out to hang with Caleb since Aria showed up."

"Calm down," Hanna said. "I've actually got a plan. Caleb and Toby approved! Remember sexy Kaden from the Brew?"

"Uh, yeah!" Spencer exclaimed, nodding her head. "How could I forget that gorgeous face of his?"

"I don't know, but we all know Aria would be super happy with him!" Hanna exclaimed.

"Yeah, but Kaden's got a girlfriend. Her name's Mariah," Spencer said. "Aria told me. Kaden and Mariah were just having a good time together at the Brew. Mariah's really pretty, too."

"We need to find someone for Aria, okay!?" Hanna sighed. "I'm tired of her mopey act, too! It needs to end."

"Spencer?" Toby walked to the room with the front door. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to stop by to see Hanna, but hey!" Spencer exclaimed. She walked over to him and kissed his cheek. "I see that the bromance with Caleb continues, huh?"

Toby grinned.

"He's pretty awesome. But he's not as great as you," he sweetly said, and leaned in for a long kiss.

"I hate to be a third wheeler, so can we take this party to the living room?" Hanna asked. "Plus, I don't want to leave Megan with Caleb for too long."

"Calm down! I'm sure Caleb can handle Megan for one more kiss," Spencer said, and then leaned back in for a second kiss.

"Fuck my life," Hanna chuckled.


End file.
